Men’s Volleyball | Thu, Apr. 13, 2023 at 3:50 PM
West Des Moines, IA – The Vikings and Vanguard would square off for a rematch from earlier in the season with a trip to the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Tournament seminfinals on the line. The rematch would not disappoint in terms of excitement, but the Viking’s season would come to a close with a heartbreaking close 4-set loss, 26-24. 25-23. 25-23, and 26-24.
Key Players…
Offensively, the Vikings would once again find a balanced attack. Bayron Valdez (JR/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and Nickolas Lima (FR/Curitiba, Brazil ) both added 12 kills, Lima at the highest percentage for the team (.556). Daniel Galili (SO/Shomrat, Israel) added 11 kills, and Meyer also added 3 aces and 35 assists. The senior Erick Villar Cordero (SR/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) would once again be the Viking’s rock for a final go-around as he ended with 10 digs. Daniel Wong (SR/Campbell, CA ) finished with 8 huge blocks for the Vikings in clutch moments.
Set 1: Grand View University 24 | Vanguard University 26
The Vikings would put fans on the edge of their seats in set 1 as they started rocky. A kill by Nikolas Lima would give the Vikings their first lead of the set 9-8. The two teams would trade points throughout much of the first set. 3 straight SE’s would keep the Lions around giving them the opportunity to take set 1 with two kills, 26-24.
Set 2: Grand View University 25 | Vanguard University 23
In the second set, the Vikings came out with a chip on their shoulder as they jumped out to an early 4-2 lead after a kill from Daniel Galili. Vanguard would not let the Vikings take set 2 easily hanging in there and tying every other point. A kill from Zeo Meyer (JR/Wheaton, IL ) from Erick Villar Cordero would be followed up with an ace from Meyer giving the Vikings a 15-13 lead. A small run by Vanguard would force the Vikings into a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Vikings would go for 3 straight points to take the 20-19 lead. Lima would finish this one up for the Vikings as he found the kill to take the set 2 victory, 25-23.
Set 3: Grand View University 23 | Vanguard University 25
The Vikings would struggle in the 3rd set, digging themselves an early hole as they trailed 14-9. An ace from Bayron Valdez would put the Viking’s deficit back within site at 15-11. The Vikings who trailed 6-points would find a rhythm and cut Lion’s lead to 20-18 after a block by…
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